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The environmental impacts of in-store advertising

Writer's picture: Christopher SewellChristopher Sewell

Updated: Jan 23

I was recently reminded of a research paper commissioned a few years ago by our company while reflecting on the unstoppable trend towards digital marketing and the move away from traditional print media. The research was conducted by a Master of Sustainability student at the University of Sydney as part of their Capstone project and produced some of the best work we've seen.


Although some findings may need to be updated, it raises important questions for comparison that remain relevant today when we consider the environmental impact of all types of digital advertising. I have provided an updated summary of the research conducted by Saif Mohammad Moinul Islam at the University of Sydney during the 2020 term below.


The goal of the research was to measure and inform a major retailer of the full extent of annual emissions resulting from in-store Point of Sale (POS) advertising, which included both digital and paper-based displays, in two of their Sydney retail stores.


The environmental challenges for retailers when advertising?


Marketers will need to ensure that their messaging within a retail setting is designed and calibrated to simulate the customers’ needs and wants to get the wheels of the economy moving once more.


The continued migration to online shopping has also seen more pressure with a move away from bricks and mortar retail.


At the time of writing, cost or living pressures and how this affects trading would seem the biggest challenges to any retailer but hopefully, in the not-too-distant future, we will be focusing once more on the pre-eminent threat, being the slow burn that is climate change.


Hidden carbon impacts within a retail business


The linking of environmental responsibility with marketing activity has to date been generally placed in the ‘too hard’ basket. The primary reason for this is it does not sit comfortably within a business’s normal operational reporting boundary i.e., it is normally sourced externally therefore being part of Scope 3 reporting.


It is not as easy to capture meaningful data from external activities, as the company does not have direct control, for instance, of the carbon emissions being generated.


We do see environmental reporting on these indirectly controlled or correctly called, scope 3 carbon emissions, in areas such as contracted vehicle fleets, air travel, and employee commuting but beyond this, there is limited detailed understanding. While more effort is required to capture these scope 3 or supply chain emissions, they are typically 4 times higher than day-to-day operational emissions. So, for a business to claim a real reduction in their carbon emissions these scope 3 emissions cannot be ignored.


Research that helps marketer retailers adhere to company-wide environmental policy. A Summary of Findings


While we recommend downloading and reading the full report here, (again you should note that this work was correct at the time of writing but would now need some of the data updating) for those who do not wish to read an academic paper these are some of the findings we think are still of interest today to all retailers.

  • While other factors are to be considered, in both selected stores the emissions from the digital advertising were higher than the printed advertising. This remains a current consideration as the OOH industry is transitioning quickly away from traditional paper or other substrate materials to digital assets. This normally means while a number of business benefits from this transition can be realised (speed, control, automation etc) the overall carbon impact is increasing.

  • A large retail business with 500 outlets would be responsible for nearly 15,000 Kilotons of CO2 p.a.

  • The retailer was responsible for the equivalent emissions from 5000 family households annually from their POS advertising

  • Only reporting on some scope 3 emissions (contracted vehicle fleets, air travel, and employee commuting) considerably underestimates the total emissions the company is responsible for along the supply chain

  • POS spending is only a fraction of the overall advertising spends therefore total scope 3 emissions across the marketing area will be very high. There are many companies offering to help businesses address this shortfall in understanding these scope 3 emissions including our friends at 51- Carbon Zero in the UK, but there has been limited work done around marketing activities

  • Complications with property ownership or franchise models can hide the emissions used to sell goods and services within a retail environment

  • Retailers should use these findings as part of the store planning and refurbishing strategies to help understand the environmental impact of static printed communication and digital displays

  • For environmental conscious retailers, the energy use and embedded carbon of digital display monitors should be a major consideration in any fit-out purchasing decision


Interestingly, there still is limited published academic research around measuring greenhouse gases in advertising so this is just one part of a much larger research project that we will continue to look at.


While the participating retailer asked to remain anonymous, we would like to thank them again for their openness and assistance, especially in these extremely challenging times.


About Net Zero Media


At Net Zero Media, we are driving a future where the advertising industry takes decisive action to reduce its carbon emissions.


Recognising the critical need for specialised technology to measure these Scope 3 emissions, Net Zero Media was founded by a collaboration of senior executives from the marketing, advertising, software and sustainability industries who developed CarboniQ to effectively measure the environmental impact of every advertising campaign across all media channels.


Our mission is to transform the advertising landscape by integrating media planning expertise with advanced technology and a deep understanding of climate science. We empower the industry to navigate complex challenges and deliver sustainable solutions, driving decarbonisation.



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